Citi CC - not cancelled my card 1 year

bracknellbull

Hi what recourse do I have or any tips- Over the past year I have spoken to Citi regarding a company card which I phoned to cancel when I left the company I was with last June. since then I have had 4 conversations with them - I did have an outstanding amount of £2.00 but could only pay if I sent them a cheque not by debit card which I did. well on all occasions I told them I had left and the company but this was not recorded in writing so now I have been sent an annual card membership fee payment. today I spoke with customer services who said they couldn't help me as my account was still active ( the card is destroyed and there has been no activity on it.) they then checked and confirmed that I had paid off the outstanding amount of £2.00 some time ago but because the card was not cancelled I had to pay the annual membership fee. I asked to speak to the supervisor who was too busy...I pressed harder and spoke with him who said that they would have to check the conversations I had with the CServices to see if I had told them that I had cancelled. he called back and agreed I had told them but they hadn't written this down. then it transpires that my ex company should have cancelled the account on my leaving as this was Citi's policy. no one in their CS dept informed me of this. so I am still responsible for the renewal fee even though I cancelled the card and they have evidence. they are now contacting my ex company to confirm that I no longer need the card! v. frustrating as I think this delay on Citi's part will damage my credit rating. very unhelpful staff in their call centre. any tips on how to get an apology as that is not forthcoming, and my slate wiped clean.

giblet10

Could you write to their customer relations team and make a formal complaint? That in itself will require a written response. Ultimately you could go to the regulator I suppose.

eskbanker

Sounds like you have a strong case, so as above, complain formally in writing and escalate to the ombudsman if necessary.

Re damage to your credit rating, you might start hitting issues if you fall foul of the card Ts & Cs, but if you've only just received notification of an annual fee going onto the card then it should be a while before anything is due for payment. Given the amounts involved (?), it may be more pragmatic to make the minimum payment when due, making it clear to Citi (in writing) that you expect this (and any associated interest, etc) to be reimbursed as well as the fee itself.